Pottsgrove eyes nearly $9M in work for high school renovations

LOWER POTTSGROVE — The Pottsgrove School Board took the first steps Tuesday night toward a set of high school renovations that could cost as much as $8.7 million.

The board voted only to move forward with much-needed replacement of the high school’s air conditioning chiller, which is falling apart and replacement parts for which must be manufactured overseas and shipped to America.

The board voted to exceed the $600,000 cap it had set for that project when Facilities Manager Michael Katzenmoyer and Moore Engineering Company Vice President Kenneth L. Kauffman explained the options.

“Currently, you have two 150-pound chillers in the boiler room that are at least 20 years old,” Kauffman said.

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“The replacements are larger and there is only one model that would fit, and it is being phased out by the manufacturer in two years,” he said. “I would not recommend investing in a piece of equipment that will be phased out in two years.”

Instead, he presented an option to install four 80-ton modular units that can fit the same space and allow for expansion, as well as running just one or two at a time when demand is light, thus extending their expected life span.

Unfortunately, the price tag on that option is $80,000 above the $600,000 price cap the board had sought.

The system, which is manufactured in the U.S. has a lifespan of 20 to 25 years and would also give the building an additional 20 tons of capacity in case the system needs to be expanded, Kauffman said.

The board unanimously approved the option because in order for the project to be ready for completed installation by April 15, the order needs to be made now, Katzenmoyer said.

The rest of the work needed at the building includes things like repairs to the outside of the building, which Katzenmoyer referred to as the “building envelope.”

A study by the Crabtree Rohrbaugh architectural firm found $90,000 worth of work, including repairing deteriorated masonry, removal of a small amount of asbestos caulking in putting screens in classroom windows that are sometimes opened.

More expensive and extensive is the interior work at the school, including the HVAC system and the unit ventilators in each classroom, repairs to plumbing, a $750,000 roof replacement; new fire alarms and paging system, and adding air conditioning to the gymnasium, team rooms and locker rooms.

Initially, Katzenmoyer and Kauffman had envisioned a three-to-five-year phasing for this work, but the board earlier asked to see what a two-to-three-year time-line would look like.

To get it done in two years, Kauffman said, would require bringing contractors into classrooms during the school year in the afternoons, after school lets out.

“We did this in Coatesville and they finish four classrooms a night, with the understanding that they clean-up after themselves and put the room back the way they found it,” Kauffman said, a requirement which, he conceded, is “always the initial challenge.”

Pottsgrove High School Principal Yolanda Williams said her primary concern with that proposal is space.

“We don’t have room to re-locate a single teacher for a day,” she told the board. “It really boils down to space. If we come to a place where we can’t use four classrooms, we’ll really be in a pickle.”

Business Manager David Nester told the board that currently, the district has “about $7 million” in its capital reserve fund, so it would not cover the costs outlined Tuesday night.

However, he noted that in 2015, the district will finish paying off a bond and have $500,000 a year it no longer has to pay and, one year later, another $1.2 million drops off the bond payment books.

So the district might be able to cover the costs out of the capital budget through regular budget savings, Nester mused.

But costs could go higher yet.

Katzenmoyer said given the extent of the work being considered, the staff also looked at other potential projects for the board to consider doing as well.

They include a “secure vestibule” for the entrance to the high school; renovations to the “old tech wing” for a science, technology, engineering and math initiative Williams has proposed; replacing the tile and possibly the seats in the auditorium; improvements to the special education rooms, as well as making room for the expanding art and music programs.

No decisions were made Tuesday other than moving forward with the new air conditioners.

But Katzenmoyer said some decisions will need to be made soon to keep the work moving forward in a timely manner.

About the Author

Evan Brandt has worked for The Mercury since November 1997. His beat includes Pottstown, the surrounding townships and the Pottstown and Pottsgrove school districts, as well as other varied general topics like politics, the environment and education. Reach the author at ebrandt@pottsmerc.com
or follow Evan on Twitter: @PottstownNews.